Wow! All that I've heard about the Oct. Dirt Wheels Banshee vs. Raptor test was that they were within 1-2 mph of each other with the Raptor being the faster of the two.

I thought there were a few other note worthy items that some of the guys forgot to mention. In terms of HP, they said an average stock Banshee has from 28-34 hp and that by the way it performed, they guessed the Raptor's HP to be from 45-50 HP.

In terms of torque, well I'll just quote them when they said, "NO CONTEST HERE". Due to the awesome power, they go on to say, "The....... Raptor was clearly superior in almost every riding situation we encountered."

They also say, "with two-stroke-like acceleration and top-end RPM" the Raptor is "in a class of its own."

They do acknowledge that increasing horsepower on the Banshee would be much easier, but go on to say that with the Raptor, "there isn't much that you would need to do to get the Raptor up to speed!"

They also say that they feel a modified Banshee "would give the Raptor a run for it's money in the dunes, and maybe even surprise a few people"

They don't see an end to the popularity of the Banshee because of the abundance of hop-up potential, but ending the sidebar comparison they say, "We simply have to accept the fact that there's a bigger and badder new kid in town that will give it (Banshee) a run just about anywhere.

I think this review should satisfy all of us. If you're a diehard Banshee fan, there's no disputing that a modded Banshee is hell on wheels.

If you're inclined to awesome handling, electric start, reverse, no gas mixing and less maintenance, there's also good news. In the 2001 Raptor, it seems that you can find the power and excitement (maybe more) that you've come to expect from Yamaha's top sport quad.

 

Couldn't agree more! If my Raptor performs as well as they say, I can live without the Banshee. But the Banshee has been mighty fun!

 

Anyone else wonder why the magazines have not yet put the Raptor up against the DS650???

 

AMEN!

 

It was a good article but its all been said before in the September issue of 4wheel atv action....kind of a rip off if you ask me...even has the same pics if you look. Time to move on like scooby said and go against a ds...I guess all in good time but let me tell you that the wait for mine to arrive is driveing me crazy!

 

Not really Scooby,

From what I understand, even though the last couple of test have been production models, they have still been loaned out by Yamaha during the showing of the 2001 models and the only other hi-po quad available to test it against has been the Banshee.

 

I'm sure the Raptor will be a great quad. But I'm still gonna see what Kawi comes out with. Plus the Cannondale and Gas Gas look real good too.

 

Scooby,

A while back I asked you what the peak torque was on the DS and you gave a well made chart showing 37/ft.lb. I just read a magazine on the net that said the Raptor has 36.8 ft/lbs of torque, so I guess that they are close to each other in that respect. I kind of thought that the head design would hurt the Raptor on it's torque, but I guess it did't have much of an effect on it afte all.

 

Yeah, the Cannondale looks very impressive, but I dont know about everyone else but I dont want to Pay $7000 for the bike that is made by a company like Cannondale. And the new Kawi is gonna be a few years down the line when it comes out then we will have a new breed of bikes to choose from. Can you you say Fourtrax 250R or 400R or Kx250 quads in 2004. Hopefully

 

I think that Cannondale will (if it is ever sold) be a great bike as far as the quality of it. The problem that I have with it is the lack of a nearby dealership/customer support. I don't want to mail order and/or drive long distances to get the most minor part. My local yamaha dealer is only about 10 miles away. My local Cannondale is, well I don't have a local Cannodale, not even remotely local.